Saturday, February 16, 2013

Through Thick To Thin: While the extent of Arctic sea ice has been dropping steadily, the volume has been plummeting. 'Collapse' is the word used. It dropped 36% in the last decade and 80% since 1980. Put the coffee down and think about this for a minute. This is not the story of the day, or week, or month, or even year, but may well be the defining story of the decade because it will accelerate the total disintegration of the Greenland ice sheet and the rapid release of vast amounts of carbon from the permafrost, and trigger the release of methane from... etc. etc. etc. We are headed toward a permanent change, with extreme and prolonged weather events such as drought, flooding, cold spells and heat waves. “It is almost certainly too late to save the Arctic’s summer sea ice from near-total destruction. Let’s hope the same isn’t true for the biosphere.”

Ah, The Smell Of Napalm... According to a Wal-Mart executive, the retail giant's February sales to date are a “total disaster.” Their explanation is that the payroll-tax increases have lowered their customers' disposable income. Serious? Well, Wally makes up 2.3% of the nation’s GDP.

The White People's Party:Did you know that Romney-Ryan did not get a single vote in91 NYC precincts and 59 precincts in Philadelphia. Did you know they did not challenge these outcomes? They did much better in the South, where change is suspect and government is seen as an intrusive force. Except when its telling women to put duct tape on their nipples.

Understatement: Intel says it expects that customers will initially resist accepting their new streaming TV service that comes with a set-top box that will watch them while they watch TV. And if it doesn't recognize anyone in the room as a subscriber, it will not permit unpaid viewing. They really didn't say that, but it was implied in their claim the set would “recognize viewers” to “manage their accounts.”

'Like' This: Because Facebook could write off the humongous stock options it gave its executives, it managed to make $1.1 billion in profits last year without paying one penny in federal or state income taxes. And it's got another $2.17 billion in carry-forward deductions to use to dodge taxes with next year and for years to come.

Teaching Point:If you don't understand the enormous show of militarized police terrorizing southern California and didn't understand why they had to burn down the cabin with the Bad Guy in it, go back to sleep.

Unarmed & Dangerous: The Canadian government views protests against the oil and gas industry as a threat to national security. The national police and the Intelligence Service are guarding against “attacks” of civil disobedience by environmental activists such as blocking roads and buildings. People taking part in protests risk being mistaken for terrorists and treated accordingly.

"The Canadian government views protests against the oil and gas industry as a threat to national security."

Not only the Environmentalists are intimidated by the Canadian Government. They also lean heavily on anyone in the Peace Movement via their Spook Service, CSIS, Canada's STASI.

"“For far too long we have tolerated the unacceptable activities of CSIS, whether through a false sense of loyalty or fear. We are here today to say that we will no longer voluntarily cooperate with CSIS when its agents come knocking on our doors or show up unannounced at our workplaces. We will not put ourselves, our neighbours, our friends, our families here or overseas, our organizations and our work for justice at risk by speaking with or listening to CSIS agents. We will say no to CSIS and yes to freedom from fear and political control,” said Marie-Eve Lamy, active in the People’s Commission Network."

Re: Teaching Point - the militarization of the LAPD began in the late 60s, under then Gov Reagan. It's not a secret, but is forgotten. Here's some background http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=estabcsti71

Re "Understatement" From Google's "products", Facebook, browsers, cell phones and now this "service" surveillance is the rule rather than the exception. I avoid Google's products, have no patience for social media, and will politely refuse the opportunity to use Intel's "service". At the current pace though, one does wonder when these "services" cease being options and are required of all citizens, or else? I'm reminded of the old film version of "Fahrenheit 451" where it was mandatory to watch the "news". Excuse the brief excursion into tin foil hat land.

Our Motto

Keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was.